NATURAL REMEDIES FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA

(BlackDoctor.org) — Hallucinations and delusions are two telltale signs of schizophrenia. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful in managing this serious mental disorder:

What You Need To Know:

Go for the glycine With a healthcare professional’s supervision, help improve symptoms such as depression with daily use of this nutritional supplement; take 0.8 grams for every 2.2 pounds (1 kg) of body weight

Rest easy with melatoninImprove sleep quality and duration with this natural hormone; take 2 mg of a controlled-release preparation before bedtime

Try megadose vitamin therapy Work with a healthcare professional knowledgeable in nutritional treatment of schizophrenia to find out whether large amounts of vitamin B3, B6, or C improves symptoms

Find a fix for low folic acid levelsVisit your healthcare provider to determine if your blood is low in folic acid, and if 10 to 20 mg a day of this vitamin might help improve symptoms

Uncover food sensitivities Work with a nutritionist to follow a gluten-free, dairy-free diet that may help improve responses to medication

These recommendations are not comprehensive and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or pharmacist. Continue reading the full schizophrenia article for more in-depth, fully-referenced information on medicines, vitamins, herbs, and dietary and lifestyle changes that may be helpful.

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Dietary changes that may be helpful For many years there has been speculation that certain dietary proteins may contribute to the symptoms of schizophrenia.1 2 3 Gluten, a protein from wheat and some other grains, and to a lesser extent casein, a dairy protein, have been the targets of research on food sensitivities as contributors to schizophrenia.4 People with schizophrenia have been shown to be more likely to have immune reactions to these proteins, than the general population.5 A preliminary trial of a gluten-free/dairy-free diet found that patients with schizophrenia improved on the diet and had shorter hospital stays than those eating normal diets.6 The results of double-blind trials, however, have been inconsistent. The gluten-free/dairy-free diet improved responses to medications in one controlled trial.7 These improvements were lost and symptoms of schizophrenia were aggravated when gluten was re-introduced in a “blinded” fashion. Another clinical trial found similar positive responses in only 8% of patients.8 Other controlled trials have found no improvement when gluten and dairy were removed from the diet.9 10 In one clinical trial, blinded reintroduction of gluten appeared to cause improvement of symptoms.11 These results suggest that some, but not all, people with schizophrenia may benefit from a gluten-free/dairy-free diet.

Lifestyle changes that may be helpful Exercise has long been recognized for its benefits in treating mild to moderate depression and there is some evidence that it may also be helpful in reducing anxiety.12 In one reported case, physical activity improved the functioning of a man diagnosed with schizophrenia.13 In another reported case, aggressive outbursts in a schizophrenic patient were reduced after he began exercising.14 A preliminary trial of an exercise program for hospitalized psychiatric patients with varying diagnoses resulted in significantly reduced symptoms of depression and an insignificant trend towards reduced anxiety.15 Additional research is needed to determine the specific benefits of exercise in people with schizophrenia.

Other therapiesPsychological counseling or electroconvulsive therapy (electrical current applied to the brain) may also be recommended.

Vitamins that may be helpfulPeople with schizophrenia may have a greater tendency to be deficient in folic acid, than the general population16 and they may show improvement when given supplements. A preliminary trial found that, among schizophrenic patients with folic acid deficiency, those given folic acid supplements had more improvement, and shorter hospital stays than those not given supplements.17 In a double-blind trial, a very high amount of folic acid (15 mg daily) was given to schizophrenic patients being treated with psychiatric medications who had low or borderline folic acid levels. The patients receiving the folic acid supplements had significant improvement, which became more significant over the six-month course of the trial.18 The symptoms of folic acid deficiency can be similar to those of schizophrenia, and two cases of wrong “schizophrenia” diagnoses have been reported.19 20 In one of these cases, an initial supplement of 20 mg daily of folic acid and a maintenance supplemental intake of 10 mg daily, led to resolution of symptoms.21

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In another double-blind study, daily supplementation with folic acid (2 mg), vitamin B6 (25 mg), and vitamin B12 (400 mcg) for three months improved symptoms of schizophrenia compared with a placebo.22 All of the participants in this study had elevated blood levels of homocysteine, which can be decreased by taking these three B vitamins. Based on this study, it would seem reasonable to measure homocysteine levels in people with schizophrenia and, if they are elevated, to supplement with folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12.

There have been several reports of glycine reducing the symptoms of people with schizophrenia who were unresponsive to drug therapy.23 Large amounts of glycine (0.8 gram per 2.2 pounds of body weight per day) have been shown to reduce negative symptoms of schizophrenia and improve psychiatric rating scores in one preliminary trial;24 however, these results have not been repeated in later trials using similar (very high) amounts.25 26 Earlier double-blind trials found significant improvements in depression and mental symptoms in people with schizophrenia who took glycine for six weeks.27 28 Most trials demonstrated a moderate improvement in schizophrenia symptoms in those taking glycine supplements.29 Long-term supplementation with high amounts of glycine may be toxic to nerve tissue, however. Some preliminary successes have been reported using smaller amounts of glycine, such as 10 grams per day.30 Long-term studies on the safety of glycine therapy are needed.

The term “orthomolecular psychiatry” was coined by Linus Pauling in 1968 to refer to the treatment of psychiatric illnesses with substances (such as vitamins) that are normally present in the body. In orthomolecular psychiatry, high amounts of vitamins are sometimes used, not to correct a deficiency per se, but to create a more optimal biochemical environment. The mainstay of the orthomolecular approach to schizophrenia is niacin or niacinamide (vitamin B3) in high amounts. In early double-blind trials, 3 grams of niacin daily resulted in a doubling of the recovery rate, a 50% reduction in hospitalization rates, and a dramatic reduction in suicide rates.31 In a preliminary trial, some schizophrenic patients continued a course of vitamins (4 to 10 grams of niacin or niacinamide, 4 grams of vitamin C, and 50 mg or more of vitamin B6) after being discharged from the hospital, while another group of patients discontinued the vitamins upon discharge. Both groups continued to take their psychiatric medications. Those who continued to take the vitamins had a 50% lower re-admission rate compared with those who did not.32 Several later double-blind trials, including trials undertaken by the Canadian Me